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NewMyths.com
A quarterly ezine by a community of writers, poets and artists.
Meet our Contributors
King David in the Cave, nonfiction, Issue 19, June 1, 2012
Myth and Fantasy, Mythological Elements in Modern Fantasy Literature, Issue 15, June 1, 2011
Tala BarWitches Lore, nonfiction, Issue 3, June 1, 2008
Mythological Giants and Their Wars, nonfiction, Issue 12, September 1, 2010
Human Sacrifice, nonfiction, Issue 26, March 1, 2014
The Loss and Search for a Loved One, Issue 28, September 1, 2014
The Mythology of Water, Issue 32, September 1, 2015
Mazes and Spirals, Issue 33, December 1, 2015
Tala Bar, I am a writer and an artist and I live in Israel. I studied Hebrew and English languages and literature and I hold a Master of Philosophy degree in literature from London University; before my retirement, I was a teacher of Hebrew and English languages and literature. I am interested in anthropology in general and in mythology in particular and I write with these subjects in mind. In literature, I am particularly interested in fantasy and science fiction and I have written and had published stories, novellas, novels and essays both in Hebrew and English. A list of my published works in English can be found in this address:
Samples of my art works and some family photos can be found in the following address:
http://www.all-art.co.il/ArtWorks/ArtWorksChapter.asp?StageId=1739
Get to know Tala...
Birthdate? 19 January, 1934.
When did you start writing? In the kindergarten, I suppose, together with painting and drawing, and I haven't stopped since. I had a number of children's fairy tales published in a children's magazine, and some literary articles published in a literary magazine, both in Hebrew in Israel.
When and what and where did you first get published? A poem of mine was published in a children's magazine in about 1942. As an adult, my first article about mythology was published in a literary magazine in 1970, and my first fairy tale in the same children's magazine in 1971. All my early publications were done in Hebrew in Israel.
What themes do you like to write about? people, mythology, fantasy, adventure.
Why do you write? I can't imagine myself not writing, it's a kind of necessity for my mental well-being. My first urge is to create, and as I'm good with words and interested in literature, I create in the way of writing.
What books and/or stories have most resonated with you as an author? Why? How do these stories and their characters find expression in your work? Robert Graves' The White Goddess; Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Darkover series; legends by the Hebrew writer Hayim Nahman Bialik; the Hebrew writer S.Y.Agnon. I use similar themes of mythology and fairy tales in my own writings, enlarge on them in my articles and turn them into my own kind of fiction in my stories. (See, for instance, my story "The Queen and the Hero," and my article "Heroes and Heroism," based on Graves' ideas, both published in the online magazine Bewildering Stories in 2006.)
Why do you write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? I fell in love with fairy tales since first I started reading and it has not changed since. I regard both science fiction and fantasy as a continuation of this trend. I like to see the world through such fantastic vision - that is what I also like to read.
Who is your favorite author? Your favorite story? Going back to my youth, I think it was Jule Verne, with his most famous story Mystery Island. There are too many of them these days for me to be able to name just the one. I like particular series by Asimov (the Elijah Bailey), Heinlein (the Children of Methuselah), Marion Zimmer Bradley (the Darkover Series) and Anne McCaffrey (the Dragons of Pern). But I can never neglect some English classics like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens' David Coperfield, or Rudiard Kipling's Kim.
What are you trying to say with your fiction? I am only trying to tell a story, for amusement and perhaps also for teaching about life. Of course, I do express my special ideas of the world in all the stories I write, and particularly, the power of women and the importance of nature.
Do you blog? No, I express my views in my stories and articles.
If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? There lies a woman who tried her best.
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